TV Overnights: ITV1 and BBC One divide the peak-time ratings

ITV1’s Law & Order: UK and BBC One’s Hustle shared the highest ratings during the all-important 9pm to 10pm peak-hour last night.

The fourth episode of Law & Order, which stars Bradley Walsh and Freema Agyeman, secured the peak share during the first half of the hour-long slot with a high of more than 5.6 million viewers.

However, BBC One’s crime drama Hustle managed to steal the top spot during the last 30-minutes with 5.1 million peak viewers.  Although overall ITV1 just beat BBC One with a higher average audience share of 20.2% compared to BBC One’s 19.8%.

Elsewhere, BBC Two’s The British Family continued with 1.8 million average viewers and a 7.4% audience share between 9pm and 10pm.

At the same time, Channel 4’s new Tower Block of Commons – a four part documentary series following politicians as they sample life on council estates in some of Britain’s most deprived neighbourhoods – picked up 1.6 million average viewers and a 6.3%.

Channel Five came just behind to take last place in the peak-hour ratings war. Paul Merton in Europe pulled in 1.5 million viewers and a 6.2% average audience share.

Earlier on in the evening, the soaps battled it out for the highest pre-watershed ratings.  ITV1’s Corrie just managed to pip Eastenders with a high of 10.8 million viewers compared to Eastenders’ 10.2 million.

Overnight data is available each morning in mediatel.co.uk’s TV Database, with all BARB registered subscribers able to view reports for terrestrial networks and key multi-channel stations.